Good old Netflix. Netflix is always there to comfort us after a long day, to bring friends together for movie night, or just to provide a distraction from whatever task you're trying to avoid. With all of the changes going on in our daily lives, Netflix is one of the constants that we can rely on. Sure, we could go out and accomplish something, or maybe do something productive with our lives, but psshh who needs success when we have unlimited television and movies at our fingertips, am I right? Those of us die-hard Netflix lovers know the vicious cycle that comes with the territory. It goes a little something like this...
1. The Referral
'Ugh I just finished [insert show here] and I don't know what to watch now, my life feels so empty," you complain to your friend. "OMG, I have the perfect show for you! You'd love it," they say excitedly. They tell you about a show you've never heard of and insist that it's just your kind of show- the perfect amount of humor and drama. It's a little bit outside of your usual area, but you decide to give it a shot.
2. The Pilot
With some trepidation, you click on the first episode of the series. Within the first 10 minutes, you're ready to call it quits. The actors have such weird outfits, their makeup looks off, and their lines are so cheesy. The only saving grace is that one of the main actors is super hot. You're about to give up halfway through, but you remember how insistent your friend was that you'd love it, so you resign to finish the episode. Then before you know it, you're at the end and you're somehow curious to see what happens next.
3. The First 8 Episodes
"What the heck," you decide, "why not keep going?" (And if we're being honest here, it's not like you have anything better to do anyway.) You go ahead and watch the second episode. And then the third. Before you know it you're eight episodes in and officially intrigued enough to finish out the season. There's just the right mix of budding romances, office politics, and hints of betrayal to keep you on your toes. Maybe your friend was on to something.
4. Two Seasons Later
Then all of a sudden, you're two seasons in and officially hooked. It happened somewhere between the first scandalous hookup and the first backstabbing betrayal, and now you can't get enough. You've officially found your show and life is great. You know all the characters' names finally and you've started to relate things in your everyday life to that one episode of [insert show here]. Your motivation to get through the day is knowing that you can watch a couple more episodes that night.
5. The Climax
By this point, you're in so deep that it's a miracle if you even make it out of your bed for class. You've totally checked out from the real world and have become fully immersed in Netflix-land. You haven't seen your friends in who knows how long, and you basically forgot that a real world exists outside of your laptop screen. Chuck and Blair's relationship status is way more important than studying for your Physics exam anyway. You're so addicted that you've been living and breathing this show for the past couple of weeks. Fictional characters in a fake world? You feel as though you know them as well as your best friends, and that they're just as important in your life too. You've lived through their romance and their heartbreak, their triumphs and their failures, and maybe even survived the death of a character or two. You're going through the episodes like wildfire without any plans of stopping.
6. The Fizzle
... and then it hits. The Fizzle. For whatever reason, the producers got lazy, and the series is going downhill. It's on its deathbed, taking its last couple of breaths. The plotline spirals downwards, getting so bad that you're not sure you can make it to the finale. If there are any characters that a). haven't died yet b). haven't hooked up yet, or c). or haven't done whatever they said they were going to do for the past season and a half, you can bet that it's all happening now. Suddenly, the series finale is over and you're not even sure what happened. The ending was unsatisfying, and there's now an empty space in your life that was previously occupied Until... you find a new show and the cycle starts all. over. again.
